Posted April 11, 2017 10:49:11

Photo: Relatives carried coffins and crucifixes during a mass funeral at a monastery in Alexandria. (Reuters: Amr Abdallah Dalsh)

Family members of the victims of the deadly Palm Sunday attacks on two Coptic churches gathered for a mass funeral at the Monastery of Saint Mina in Alexandria, as Egypt's cabinet approved a three-month state of emergency ahead of a scheduled visit by Pope Francis.

Hundreds of mourners, many outraged by what they said was the state's failure to keep them safe on one of their holiest days, carried wooden coffins to the beat of drums interrupted by the wails of those dressed in all black in a ceremony conducted under heavy security.

"Where should we go pray? They are attacking us in our churches. They don't want us to pray but we will pray," said Samira Adly, 53, whose neighbours were killed in the attack.

"Everyone is falling short ... the government, the people ... nothing is good."

The blast in Alexandria — Egypt's second largest city — killed 17 people, including seven police officers.

It came hours after a bomb struck a Coptic church in Tanta, a nearby city in the Nile Delta, taking the lives of 28 and wounding nearly 80.

The twin attacks marked one of the bloodiest days in recent memory for Egypt's Coptic Christian minority. Both attacks were claimed by the Islamic State group, which has waged a campaign against Egypt's Christian minority.

'We shouldn't stay quiet at all, it is a security failure'

Photo: Relatives of the victims criticised the government's security failings on one of their holiest days, Palm Sunday. (Reuters: Amr Abdallah Dalsh)

The Copts, whose presence in Egypt dates to the Roman era, have long complained of religious persecution and accuse the state of not doing enough to protect them.

Who are Egypt's Coptic Christians? Why are their churches being bombed? And why doesn't the Government do anything about it? Some questions explained.

Coming on Palm Sunday, when Christians mark the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem, the bombings appeared designed to spread fear among the Coptic minority.

"We shouldn't stay quiet at all ... it is a security failure ... how did the bomb enter when there's security outside the church? They're saying now the metal detector wasn't working," Beshoy Asham, a cousin of a Tanta victim, told reporters.

The attacks also raised security fears ahead of a visit to Cairo by Roman Catholic Pope Francis planned for April 28-29 intended to promote interfaith dialogue between Muslims and Christians.

After decades of persecution, Copts hoped the Arab Spring might signal a turnaround in their fortunes. For many, though, life remains precarious.

Coptic Pope Tawadros II was leading the mass in Alexandria's Saint Mark's Cathedral when the bomb exploded but was not harmed, the Interior Ministry said.

The nationwide state of emergency declared by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and agreed by the cabinet on Monday (local time) is expected to be approved by Parliament within seven days in order to remain in place.

"The armed forces and police will do what is necessary to confront the threats of terrorism and its financing," the cabinet said in a statement.

Measures would be taken to "maintain security across the country, protect public and private property and the lives of citizens," it added.

But anger at the state's failure to secure the religious holiday appeared to be on the rise, and the response of implementing another state of emergency is seen as insufficient — Egypt has been under emergency law for the best part of the last 35 years.

Young people gathered at the Alexandria funeral shouted chants rarely heard in a country where protesting has effectively been outlawed and rights activists say they face the worst crackdown in their history.

"Down with any president as long as Egyptian blood is cheap," and "down with military rule!" they yelled.

'Islamic State want to use religion to tear us apart'

Photo: The first blast in Tanta killed at least 25. (Reuters: Mohamed Abd El Ghany)

Though the Islamic State group has waged a low-level war against soldiers and police in Egypt's Sinai peninsula for years, its stepped-up assault on Christians in the mainland could turn a provincial insurgency into wider sectarian conflict.

On Sunday, the group warned of more attacks and boasted it had killed 80 people in three church bombings since December.

Muslims in Cairo wept over the church victims while slamming Islamic State for trying to destabilise the country.

"They want to use Islam to tear us apart. We are brothers and sisters and religion for God is Islam, but Christians are our brothers and sisters," said Nematalla from Cairo.

"These people are Egyptian ...these people are our brothers and sisters and we love them," said Mohamed Zeinhom.

Security analysts said it appeared that Islamic State militants, under pressure in Iraq and Syria, were trying to widen their threat and had identified Christian communities as an easier target.

"ISIS are deeply sectarian, that's nothing new, but they have decided to re-emphasise that aspect in Egypt over the past few months," said HA Hellyer, senior non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council and the Royal United Services Institute.

"Christian targets are easier — churches are far more difficult to fortify than say an army barracks or a police station. It's a disturbing development because it indicates we have the possibility of repeated and continued attacks against soft targets."

Reuters/ABC

Topics: christianity, eastern-churches, terrorism, egypt